Easton Out Of Running For Charter School Grant

Easton Area School District is not a finalist for a $1 million grant that educators hoped would help them set up a charter school.

But Superintendent William Moloney said the school may become a reality anyway.

Officials learned last week that they are not in the running for the grant from the Nabisco Corp. in Washington, Moloney said. About 3,000 applications were sent to the corporation, he said.

"That didn't come as a great surprise," Moloney said of Easton's loss. "That money attracts a tremendous interest."

The district had lost out on a similar grant from Nabisco in the past, he said.

Easton officials had hoped to use the money to establish an academy that would operate much like a private school. Educators want freedom from state regulations, intense participation from parents, a commitment to work ethic and a focus on core subjects: English, math, science, history and geography. The school would serve a diverse student population in the middle grades. Students may be required to wear uniforms.

Moloney said the academy may be established with district funds, but the grant would have put the project in better standing.

District officials have not approached the Department of Education officially for approval of the project. But Moloney said he recently talked informally with Secretary of Education Don Carroll. Public schools must address the choice issue, and developing an academy could be one answer, Moloney said.

"There is a tremendous sense of urgency in the state to nail down specific reforms that could speak to the impulse behind choice," Moloney said.